Morello is a material handling equipment company with specific expertise in manufacturing automated guided carts. The company designs and builds custom-made vehicles for moving heavy loads from massive power transformers to large naval vessels to steel industry tube, coil and plate.
One of the fastest growing heavy load handling solutions for industry are AGV Carts, or Automated Guided Vehicles. Thanks to the application of a combination of smart technologies AGV’s deliver significant benefits to enterprises across many industries.
What are the characteristics of a Morello Automated Guided Cart?
The AGV Carts manufactured by Morello are custom-built vehicles, designed to specifications agreed with the client and with an extremely high load capacity: up to 1000 tonnes.
A Morello AGV cart is a computer controlled, driverless vehicle for transporting heavy loads, with automatic self-loading/unloading capabilities if required. The AGV is pre-programmed, moves autonomously without the presence of an operator, within factories and warehouses, in both indoor and outdoor environments. It is effectively an online robot which can respond in real time to frequent changes in production operations and absorb the impact of real time decision making.
The multiple steering options available for Morello AGV’s allow maximum manoeuvrability to navigate in the tightest of spaces. The AGV Cart’s guidance system often uses laser technology but may alternatively follow marked lines, wires on the floor, GPS and odometric sensors, use vision cameras or magnets. Maximum manoeuvrability is obtained with the omni-directional AGV which allows each wheel to move autonomously.
The AGV is integrated into the company’s production and warehousing software systems and will transmit information, provide a log of all movements and track operations giving the opportunity to optimise systems and processes.
The specifications of the AGV for your specific use case are drawn up together with Morello’s technical team who have the experience to outline and advise on the best solution to optimise your operations.
Overall, the AGV Cart is a valid cost-effective material handling transportation system allowing companies to streamline manufacturing and warehousing operations with specific operational advantages.
What are are the main advantages of Automated Material Handling for your operations?
Morello highlights 6 main areas in which automated material handling, and more specifically AGV’s, can deliver advantages compared to alternative material handling solutions.
Labour Costs and Staffing: AGV’s are driverless vehicles and as a result the labour cost of vehicle drivers becomes an operational saving. The management and staffing issues related to qualified licensed drivers with appropriate training and safety management procedures are also resolved as these factors are taken out of the equation. AGV’s can provide continuous 24/7 operational availability removing the need for human resource management.
Increased Safety: AGV cart technologies have built-in safety features which eliminate the risk of injury to people. Today’s sensor and smart visioning technologies provide safeguards and eliminate the human-error factor and risk of driver distraction which can cause unfortunate accidents.
Dangerous Environments: AGV’s can work in volatile industrial environments which may be hostile to human beings. Whether the risk is assessed as a volatile setting, an explosive risk or the risk of manually handling heavy loads the AGV reduces the risk exposure for both operators and the company as a whole. In addition, Morello can offer ATEX certified AGV’s which are essential in certain industries such as oil and gas or the chemical sector.
Precision and Productivity: The technologies employed on an Automated Guided Cart can provide an extremely high level of precision in operations and materials handling. On a recent client project a Morello AGV obtained a loading/unloading positioning precision of ±5 mm for a large and heavy material load. The very nature of using programmed AGV’s means that first time positioning delivers greater operational productivity.
Damage Reduction: Thanks to the safety and precision factors mentioned above the potential damage often caused by operator driven vehicles is eliminated. Depending on the working environment, damage to infrastructure, machinery and goods can create unbudgeted costs over the course of years. Even more importantly the concern of damage and injury to people is eliminated providing peace of mind and a safer working environment for all employees.
Accuracy and Traceability: As the AGV is integrated into the enterprise’s operating systems all movements are clearly programmed, loggedandtracked. The resulting benefits for inventory accuracy and the traceability of products and materials is a natural consequence of automated materials handling.
Industrial Sectors
AGV’s can provide benefits in a wide range of industrial sectors. Specifically, Morello sees great benefits for operations within the power generation sector, oil and gas, large turbines, and electric motors. The automotive industry can benefit hugely from applying AGV’s to the movement of large presses and machine tools. Movement of tubing, coil and plates in the steel industry can be carried out effectively by AGV carts. And there are applications for the chemical industry worth close examination. Suffice to say that the potential benefits compared to operator driven machinery are very significant.
